When alcohol burns at a high temperature it generates a smoke that is almost invisible. Alcohol fueled fires may go on for many minutes without anybody discovering the fire. It is often not until an adjacent item also catches fire that conventional smoke is developed but there is a risk that substantial damage to life and item have already occurred. For example, many racing cars are fueled by alcohol and it is very difficult to discover that the engine is on fire since the smoke from the burning alcohol is virtually impossible to see for the human eye.
There is a need for a more effective way of discovering and warning for alcohol-fueled fires.